The came from the Rutland area and they conquered. Two riders from the X-Men team showed up and trumped the local riders, taking first and second place. Here are the results of the Granville time trial, also on the road page with updated series standings.

The Riders are excited to work with Sinuosity Trails again, this time on the new Suki’s Alley at Blueberry Lake. Featuring steeper grades and rock/wood features, the trail should add some spice to the network, while increasing loop options. The corridor has been cleared already, with a mix of pro and volunteer help. We’re hoping for a mid to late summer opening!

The trails are free to use for hiking and biking, but not free to build and maintain. Please help us by becoming a member, contributing financial support and volunteering. http://madriverriders.com/membership/

2015 is off to fast start and we’ve been enjoying some great conditions lately. Thank you to everyone that has volunteered on the trails and joined or renewed their memberships so far.
​
For those that have not yet had the opportunity to join the Mad River Riders or renew their membership, we highly recommend you do at https://vmba.org/membership. Remember to select the Mad River Riders as your primary chapter. Your membership directly supports our ability to build new trails, maintain the existing trail network and support the many free events we have planned for this season.The entire network is open and most of it has been spring cleaned and refreshed. We’ve logged more than 200 hours already and we’re just getting going. If you’d like to help with maintenance, want to share where blowdowns or drainage issues have happened or see what’s been done this year, check out our trail volunteer info at http://madriverriders.com/mountain-bike/volunteer-trail-work/.

Please join us for our National Trails Day season kick-off party at Blueberry Lake on June 7th 12PM-4PM. To get things rolling, we’re breaking ground for a new trail connecting Tootsie Roll to Lenord’s Loop and receiving a Golden Pulaski from the USFS for our work.

Following the ceremony, we have free guided kids rides with the Mad River Rippers, Ali Zimmer is leading a fun women’s ride and there is a dad-supported strider ride/hike on Tootsie Roll,12:30PM-2:30PM.Once again, we’ll be joined by XPrezo Cycles and Clearwater Sports with paddleboards, both providing free demos. Thank you to Jason Plouffe and Barry Bender for their support.

The Common Man Meatball Truck will be there with tasty treats too and all profits benefit the Riders! Eat a meatball, build a trail. Adam and Lorien rock.

The Mad River Riders Facebook page is constantly being updated with trail condition reports and notices of upcoming events. Please check it out and like our page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mad-River-Riders/147795441983502. We are close to breaking 1000 likes, so let your friends know. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you can still check out the page.

From Blueberry Lake and Revolution to the top of Camel’s Hump State Forest and Phen Basin, the Riders are committed to providing fun sustainable year-round multi-use trails for all ages and abilities, beginner to expert. Check the Membership page for more info.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell recently announced the 2014 Chief’s Honor Awards recipients. The staff of the Green Mountain National Forest, along with multiple partners and local businesses, received an award for promoting recreation opportunities in the Mad River Valley.

The Vermont Mountain Bike Association, Mad River Riders, Mad River Valley Planning District and a private donor are key partners in the Blueberry Lake project. The result of collaborative efforts include construction of over 5 miles of sustainably designed mountain bike trails, with an additional 1.5 miles ready for construction funding.

The trails are designed and constructed by Sustainable Trailworks, LLC, with contributions from the Mad River Riders and the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, funded through State of Vermont Recreational Trails Program grants. The trail system has been recognized by a national mountain biking magazine, “Dirt Rag,” in addition to receiving an IMBA award for providing riding experiences for varied skill levels.

Over 450 volunteer hours, including time from Yestermorrow, Charlie Brown, Leonard Robinson, Green Mountain Valley School and the Mad River Riders, have assisted with improvements in the Blueberry Lake area.

At a December ceremony, Chief Tidwell acknowledged the outstanding collaborative effort exhibited between Forest Service employees, four partner organizations, individual volunteers, State and local government representatives, and local businesses to promote and enhance recreational resources on the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF).

Holly Knox, Recreation Program Coordinator for the Rochester and Middlebury Districts, traveled to D.C. to accept the award on behalf of the 17 volunteers and partners named in the nomination. “Recreation is the portal for understanding and caring for natural resources and public lands and community engagement is essential for creating a sustainable recreation program on the GMNF” said Knox.

Chris Mattrick, District Ranger in charge of the section of National Forest stretching from Route 4 to Sugarbush Ski Area noted that “With 156 National Forests and Grasslands under the care of the US Forest Service, there is intense competition for these awards. We’re extremely proud of this recognition and all the work accomplished with our dedicated partners and volunteers.”

The riding is still good, especially where the leaves have been cleared, but please remember state land trails in Camel’s Hump State Forest and Phen Basin are closed.

More importantly, rifle hunting season starts this weekend and there are on-going hunting seasons until the end of December.
The rest of the network is open for riding and hiking still, but none of it is posted no-hunting. We ask that everyone stays off the trails during hunting season, at least during the day. Night rides are okay, please wait until it is really night though. Let the hunters have the daylight hours.

Trail planning for next season continues full steam ahead and we are working to open some fat biking trails this winter. Stay tuned!

Join us for a season-ender group ride, party, and Annual Meeting this Saturday, November 1st at Lareau Farm – American Flatbread. The ride will run 2PM-4:30PM, with potential for a car shuttle to start. The party will be informal, with drinks and flatbreads available for purchase. The Annual Meeting will be 6-7PM in the Lareau Farm dining room. The forecast is for snow, how appropriate. Celebrate and enervate with the Riders!